Mortiser vs Drill Press: Differences And Their Uses

Making new wood designs to attach new parts of woods to give a new dimension to the wooden material is satisfying. One can make anything they want. A sliding board to a design or curved appearance anything is suitable.

For either case, many may have confusion about using a mortiser or a drill press even though some of the facilities they provide are similar, which will still provide better guidance.

Is mortiser better than drill press? Or does the drill press provide better performance? To quench the confusion and questions, here we are giving a clear comparison between mortiser vs drill press.

Is a mortiser the same as a drill press?

Mortiser machines and the drill press are totally different in many aspects. From the mechanism to the structure and to work, everything differs in many ways. Even the budget of each has a great difference.

Mortiser machine is capable of making square holes. Meanwhile, the drill machine can make round holes. Well, the holes may differ according to the shape you may want to give your wood. If you want to attach or make a space for swapping parts, a mortiser may give a better benefit.

It may also give a suitable shape to the wood. Mortiser may provide more benefits. It is heavy, yet using it may solve and do half of your work. Meanwhile, a drill press has expertise in drilling. Other than that, you can convert the drill press to a mortiser.

It can be done by using mortiser components. However, the components should be of a size that can fit in the drill press. Otherwise, it will ruin the drill press and cause damage to the drill press. Yet if you consider other parts with benefits, mortiser may seem more suitable.

But mortisers are really higher in price than a drill press. As a result, one may need to invest lots of money in it. Apart from all this, mortiser may not be suitable for beginners. Even using a drilling machine may not be safe either.

That’s why to be careful while working. Even both the mortiser and drill press are capable of causing damage, especially because of the high spin. Thus safety should be provided before working with a mortiser or a drill press.

Comparison Table Between Drill Press Vs Mortiser

Mortiser	Drill press
A bit complex to use	Easier to use in comparison to a mortiser
Costs more	Cheaper than a mortiser
Require special bits	Can convert it by using different types of bits and components
Especially for expertising	Mainly for beginners
High speed and complex motor	Less complex yet controllable speed
Mortiser provides more facilities than mortising	Drill press can not mortise like mortiser instead slight changes can be made

A Brief About Mortiser

Mortiser is a machine that is used in woods to make holes. Unlike other machines, it makes rectangular holes on wood. This complex machinery uses a specialized bit to cut wood.

Mortiser is mostly used by professionals. As for handling, it may seem difficult for beginners; some prefer replacing bits in drills by giving the drill a new shape. Well, it may work, yet mortiser has its own features to look at.

Four corner chisel

As mortiser makes rectangular holes, it comes with a four-corner chisel. When one starts the mortiser, the chisel goes into the wood and makes holes. The holes may appear in rectangular form.

Makes designs

Rather than making holes, it also makes designs on the wood surface. Especially for door and lock designs, mortiser is the most suited.

Complex yet fast machine

Mortiser is a heavy and complex machine. One can not move it easily. That’s why only professionals prefer using it. Other than that, it uses torque efficiently by giving a quick result.

Cuts on joints

It is more like cutting on the points which may make a joint into wood pieces. This may create lengthy rectangular holes. The length where another wood piece can be attached.

A Brief About Drill Press

A drill press is the most commonly known machine for use in woods. A drill press has the same purpose as a mortiser which is making holes. Yet the difference is the holes will be of a round shape.

Apart from making holes, one might cut the edges of the wood. Moreover, it may not be as complex as a mortiser and not even as efficient as a mortiser.

Round-shaped chisel

Drill press only has the option of using round-shaped chisels. It can only make round-shaped holes on wood. One may not get too many options here.

Can be transformed

Many change bits of the drill press to add new features to it. Some may work out perfectly, while some may result in disaster. If the bit fits in, different bits on the drill press can be used. Thus can be transformed into a lightweight mortiser. Yet it will provide quite good benefits.

Makes round designs

Well, the bits used on a drill press can make round-shaped designs. It may depend on the settings of the drill press. Like you can make designs by adjusting depth.

Mortiser Vs Drill Press Differences – Which One is Better?

1# Uses

The main purpose of using a mortiser is to make rectangular-shaped holes. Meanwhile, in a drill press, it makes round-shaped holes.

2# Designs

Mortiser may provide better facilities to make designs. Well, by adjusting depth on both mortiser and drill press, anyone can give design to the wood. Yet, the shape of the design will differ.

3# Speed

Mortiser works with greater speed than a drill press. That’s why most beginners don’t prefer using mortisers. Handling a mortiser is difficult than handling a drill press.

4# Weight

Mortiser is complex heavy machinery. On the other hand, a drill press is lightweight and movable. Thus mortisers might be mostly used in wood piercing shops as the features are indeed greater than a drill press.

5# Attaching joints

Mortisers can cut wood pieces in a rectangular shape. As a result, one can make lengthy holes in it where another wood piece can be attached. Mostly used in joint parts, as for making joints in wardrobes, tables.

On the other hand, the drill press only gives a round shape. That doesn’t provide a facility to join larger parts of the wood.

We are adding a comparison table, to sum up, the total discussion to bring you benefits.

How To Use A Mortiser?

Using a mortiser may not be a tough task, yet it is a crucial method to follow. Even a slight carelessness can cause damage to people, especially on the hand and eyes.

We are including simple, easy ways of using a mortiser to give a specific view of the mortiser. Follow the rest.

Set the chisel

Chisel for mortise comes in different sizes. One needs to choose the right size and set the chisel on the mortiser.

Well, for setting a chisel, one may not push it directly as direct pressure may injure them. In that case, set the chisel on a small wooden board and press it to the machine. Set it.

Place a space

Well, augar is always followed after the chisel. Here a certain space is required to set the chisel. That helps the work go smoothly. For this, take a small board and place that right between the bit and the chisel.

As a result, space will be created. That might help in further work.

Fix the augar

An augar follows a chisel. Chisel is first put properly, and augar follows that. After creating space, tighten the augar bit on all sides so that the augar stays in place. At the same time, the is a space between the augar bit and chisel.

Tighten the chisel

After fixing the augar, it is time to fix the chisel. To keep it in the same place, tighten the chisel. This all includes the setting of the chisel in the mortiser. Tightening the chisel is necessary to hold it in one place.

Otherwise, the chisel may seem flexible and drop off or move while spinning. As a result, spinning may bring disaster.

Place the wood

After tightening, see the height, set the mortiser to that, and look at the depth to follow the lead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Can you use a mortising bit in a drill press?

Answer: Perhaps, you can use a mortising bit in a drill press. Though the mortising bit may not suit the drill press, it will not harm the machine.

All the components of a mortise machine may be suitable for a drill press. The only thing that matters is if the components fit in the drill machine or not. If it fits, using a mortising bit in a drill press is possible.

Question: Can you use a drill press as a milling machine?

Answer: Most probably, one can use a drill press as a milling machine. Well, converting the drill press into a milling machine may not be a good idea.

Milling machines are different from drilling machines. If you want to convert the drilling machine into a milling machine, the motors in the drill may not work well.

Instead of using a drill press, use a milling machine. A milling machine can provide further benefits than a drill press.

Question: Can you use a router bit in a drill press?

Answer: Of course, you can use a router bit in a drill press unless the router bit is large. Well, a drilling machine has its components and sizes.

Not every size of components or chisels may be suitable for a drilling press. There is also spinning off the router that a drill press might influence.

if you want to use a wood router in a drilling press Either the spinning can get too fast or too slow. That’s why be careful if you want to use a wood router in a drilling press.

Question: Can I use a delta mortiser as a drill press?

Answer: You can use a delta mortiser as a drill press. Well, you can also use the mortiser components one the drill press.

Delta mortisers may provide the facilities as drill presses. In some cases, it may differ. The sizes and the benefits the delta mortiser gives might be necessary.

Yet looking at the budget and comparing overall, it doesn’t seem a good choice to use a delta mortiser as a drill press.

Final remarks

Mortiser vs drill press both have quite similar mechanisms. They not only differ in work but also do not provide the same facilities.

Even though mortiser components are most suitable for a drill press, using components rather than their own may damage the machine.

Even mortisers may provide more facilities than the drill. Yet, the cost may come in the way. Even a beginner may not dream of working with a mortiser.

That’s why a lot of people try to convert drill presses into mortiser. Some may succeed, and some may not. Overall, instead of converting, buying a mortiser is better. Yet drilling can also provide similar facilities by using appropriate components.